Sam Thompson has broken his silence after photos emerged of his ex-girlfriend Zara McDermott on a date with Louis Tomlinson.
The former Made In Chelsea star, 32, and Zara, 28, split last December. Although an official reason for the split was never given, it was reported that Zara ‘didn’t feel like the priority’ in Sam’s life.
But Love Island star Zara has seemingly moved on after being spotted enjoying a meal at a hotel restaurant in Aldeburgh, Suffolk.
A fellow diner told The Sun, ‘Louis and Zara were having a great time. They were touching hands over the table and looked so happy and relaxed. They had the brill, the whole fish, and shared it with sides and Zara had a few cocktails. Louis was really making her giggle and they chatted for ages.’
Sam has now opened up about staying single in the aftermath of his split from Zara in a conversation with Celebs Go Dating star Paul Carrick Brunson.
On the latest episode of the Staying Relevant podcast, which Sam co-hosts with best friend Pete Wicks, Paul asked him, ‘What are you doing, Sam, to self-love?’
Sam said, ‘Not much to be honest with you. I suppose a lot of people look for validation in other people, right? And they look for the next person instantly because it's like, "I need to find someone else to fill that hole and I need to find that excitement."
‘You know when you get that excited feeling when you are talking to someone new and fresh. I can't do that.’
Fans of the reality star – who won I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2023 – were quick to flood the comments section of the podcast’s Instagram page with support.
One wrote, ‘Sam's evidently showing us all it's okay to ask for help and tools to get through things, even though stuff! Love this, sending Sam so much love.’
A second added, ‘Anyone else just want to give Sam the biggest hug? I wish he could see how amazing he is as a person!’
While a third commented, ‘Love that Sam hasn’t pretended he’s ok, and just been normal like he didn’t just finish a 5 year relationship, defo a role model.’
Meanwhile, a friend of Sam’s has claimed that he has ‘no hard feelings’ towards his ex’s reported new man.
A source told MailOnline, ‘Sam has no hard feelings towards Louis, that's for sure. As far as he's concerned, Louis is Zara's new man, and he's just got to accept it. He's a positive guy and will just move on from this, throwing himself into work and getting stuck into the exciting projects he's got coming up.
‘Obviously he was sad when their relationship broke up and, like anyone, when your ex moves so quickly it's tough. And if he was both angry and devastated, that would be understandable. But he's not sitting around wallowing in self pity, far from it.’
Samuel McManus is a senior content creator for Bauer Media, writing celebrity news and features across five of the company’s brands – heat, Closer, Grazia, Bella and Yours. Samuel has worked at Bauer Media since November 2024.